Caught in the toils
by Rasain
Summary: "Is it a spell?"Inuyasha's eyes became slightly clouded with something close to greed and hunger of the kind she had never seen.With a renown eagerness,which surprised the both of them,he crushed her body to the massive cherry desk.His muffled response, in other circumstances, would have been bothersome and unlike him."Doesn't matter to me." Three-shot.
1. The shard

**Disclaimer:** IY is definitely not mine and I don't profit from this piece.

Name: The shard

Pairing: Kagome/Inuyasha

Word count: 2,874 words

Summary: „Is it a spell? I would have never asked for this aloud." The blush spread under her skin as Inuyasha's eyes became slightly clouded with something close to greed and hunger of the kind she had never seen. With a renown eagerness which surprised the both of them, he crushed her body to the massive cherry desk. His muffled response, in other circumstances, would have been bothersome and unlike him. Now, it was all that she longed to hear. "Doesn't matter to me."

Rating: T

Warning: It might turn into M in part two.

* * *

_I took a walk around the world to_

_Erase my troubled mind_

_I left my body laying somewhere_

_In the sands of time_

_I watched the world float to the dark_

_Side of the moon_

_I feel there is nothing I can do..._

- Three doors down

**- part one -**

When she pushed away the fabric that draped over the entrance, she realized that the wind had risen. It was cold, the shivers down her spine pushed her back inside the cottage. She threw the yellow bag, now empty, in the left corner, while the candies, the ramen packages (she had given into the temptation to double their number), a few sodas, the ketchup and the mustard were all arranged in a pyramid. On the bed, three pens, a notebook and a history book awaited for her. Homework.

God, not even in Feudal Era did she get free from her school duties... It had taken Kagome some time to finalize the main ideas of her essay, but exhaustion overtook her power of concentration. She decided to take a five-minute break. Still, no sign of Inuyasha and the others, not even Shippou.

"Where are they?"

It was getting dark outside, the clouds rolled over the last remains of a fragile December sun. Trees bowed to the ground in front of an invisible force, the storm was ready to start.

Kagome leaned her forehead into her hand as soon as she found a comfortable position on the floor. _Back to work_, the woman sighed. _They'll return in no time._

Her eyes passed lazily over the sheet of paper, her mind went blank. The woman's throat tightened as she gulped, mentally preparing the introductory sentences. Nara jidai, she wrote the title in a cursive manner, without pressing her pen too hard against the notebook, as to not leave unwanted traces on the other pages, but inside she was boiling. As she signed her name at the top, Kagome Higurashi, her mind wandered. _What if they got in a fight?_

_Well_, her brain muttered, _it's what they always do, stupid_. Frustrated, Kagome pushed herself back until she felt the wooden wall, then pouted.

Picking the history book from the ground, her thoughts flew back to what had to be done. _Better do it now, or else you will receive only snappy comments._

The first words in the lesson were irrelevant, so she skipped the paragraph.

Empress Gemmei on the right side, next to some really boring dates, stood straight in an image. A drawing, actually, it depicted the ruler in her full splendor, which completely lacked. Kagome couldn't hold back the yawn any longer. The book fell from her hands, upside down, hiding the face of the woman who once held power over the entire Japan. Rolling her eyes, she dropped on her side and cherished another break. This would totally replenish her powers, and so she steadied her breath and listened to the silence.

Hands pushed and pulled at her shoulders, making her head fall back, but she couldn't open her eyes. It was too warm inside the room and she felt so right, careless and on the brink of a dream abyss. Butterflies, they flew above the field of lilies and Kagome couldn't stop staring at their wings, how beautiful they battered through the air.

"Kagome," someone spoke her name, but she couldn't see who. At the horizon, a bright golden kimono sparkled. It sheltered a small figure, skinny, weak. A woman, she noticed. It was in the way she stepped through the flowers, delicate feet rubbing the silky petals in their way. Anon, as the woman came closer, Kagome saw her face. So white, and her lips were like blood curtains drawn over a line of pearls. The eyebrows matched the contrasts of her presence with their blackness, so did the perfect ebony of the hair, which tickled the small of her back. Beautiful, breath-taking. When Kagome's stare grazed over the empress' face again, she felt the heart in her chest cease beating. That pair of eyes, so dark and bottomless like the abyss beneath her feet, were somewhat familiar. A glint of warmth and intelligence got through the bars of their prison, but Kagome couldn't place them in the puzzle of her memory. The smile from the lips reflected in them as in a mirror, it was kind and inviting. The empress stopped a few feet away.

"Kagome, wake up!" there started the shaking again; she didn't even stir in her sleep.

Kagome watched silently as that milky hand came up to her face in a curious way, the fingers almost touching her chin. There was a growl, followed by an annoyed mutter before heavy and hazy steps darted toward her.

"Move, monk."

Kagome closed her eyes in anticipation, but instead of fingers on her face, she felt pressure on both of her upper arms and her eyelids came up in alertness. The empress, she bared her teeth and dug her nails in the skin of her arms just before -

"Wake up, wench!" It was Inuyasha's voice coming from between those lips and with a force resembling the hanyou's, the woman pushed her back until her bare feet were dangling over the edge of the abyss. When Kagome's toes slipped, a scream pierced the air and the woman's black eyes widened with surprise and concern before their color morphed into liquid amber. The pale skin was no longer framed by dark hair, but by silver strands that were longer and looked softer. Just then, something moved above her head and caught Kagome's attention, dog ears. The scream stopped and was replaced by an angered word.

"Inuyasha!" The hit of Kagome's fist in the middle of the head pulled a wince from the said man, at the same time Miroku pushed his shoulders up in a shrug. She didn't have time to ask, the answer just came. Like always, though, the hanyou took the matter in his own hands. In this case, waking her up.

Automatically, one clawed hand covered the place where her fist made the impact.

"For fuck's sakes!"

The girl took a shaky breath and arched her eyebrows.

"Sit." with that, she turned her back to the annoying hanyou and picked her things up, completely ignoring his collision with the ground and the dissatisfied rambling.

She must have fallen asleep and she didn't realize exactly how tired her body was from all the trips she made, lately. Five hours, at least, she must have slept, judging by the fact that outside the sky was starless and the wind stopped. She saw Sango next to the fire, and Shippou wad sleeping in her arms, though the old priestess was nowhere to be seen. Kagome was a little shocked to see that Kaede hadn't returned from her three-day trip already.

"Where's Kirara?" she asked as she sat down on the ground, but her words nothing more than mere whispers, to not wake the little fox youkai up. He just sighed and pushed himself deeper into the warm embrace of the demon hunter.

"She's gone after Kaede, the three days are up." Kagome nodded silently and pushed a stick into the fire, watching it burn. So she'd been right, the old priestess was still looking for plants.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sign of fish, as if the smell wasn't enough. So that was why they were late. The fire was almost ready to be used for cooking. Its colors waltzed from a mighty blue to a fiery red, illuminating the area; the sparks that had the courage to unbind from the burning wood smiled down at their faces with crimson lips, until they dampened down as soon as they reached the cool air.

Lips... that brought the dream back into her mind. Who was that woman? The flashes had been weird, something about her made Kagome feel fuzzy inside, which was pretty bizarre. The golden kimono meant fortune, she was an empress, undoubtedly. Though, she didn't look like Gemmei from her history book. Something about the look in her eyes was extremely familiar. The black of her irises was rare, and neither of her friends or members of the family had it, but the glances , the features, the hands... every little detail was beautiful, graceful. The way she moved through all those flowers, letting the tulips untouched behind her; the light that reflected on her skin as in nacre, was she an angel? The stinging ache inside Kagome's chest intensified as she thought of it. There was a message in that dream, elusive as smoke, but palpable.

A hand flew before her eyes, sending chilly breezes into her face. Tears swelled up, and she blinked to will them away.

"Hey, are you alright?" both Miroku and Sango sat in front of her and tried to get her to focus.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine..." The dismissal was clear, because the two moved their attention to the cooking as Kagome flicked her wrist. She had been zoning out a bit, nothing to worry about. Talking about worrying, there was a missing piece in all that campfire group image. One of its members played truant at the moment. Inuyasha wasn't there, even so, she couldn't help but feel relieved. No more fights over nothing, at least for a few minutes.

The fish ran out fast, two hours of hard labor, as Miroku said, had been eaten in five minutes, but not by Kagome. She wasn't hungry. Shippou, however, was. The kid wore a bright smile on his face ad he patted his now full tummy.

"Now that was delicious!" Sango laughed out loud, throwing her head back.

"It sure was." Miroku didn't seem to agree, he frowned and shook his head before sitting next to Sango. Kagome felt distracted, but even with her eyes glued to the edge of the forest, she could still hear the slap and Sango shifting her weight to block Miroku's hands from her body.

There was a strange sound coming from outside the village.

Everyone was sleeping, but Inuyasha was not back yet. Kaede snored, her rear at Kagome, Sango's face was hidden by Kirara's fur, Shippo lay in Miroku's arms, both sound asleep. Still, the image of the woman's face haunted Kagome's mind. There was a faint pulse at the back of her neck, and shivers of anticipation crawled under her skin like worms. It didn't matter how she positioned herself, the ground felt harder than any night before and there was an eerie silence in the air. A musky smell lingered on the sheets beneath her, but as she rolled over, the smell was still there. Coming from outside, Kagome noticed as she stole a glance at the door.

The sound didn't stop.

Her eyes couldn't catch the view of the upper branches on which the hanyou usually sat, but a feeling bugged her. She knew even without looking that he was not there, his presence lacked. Kagome pushed the futon away from her legs, her skin felt hot, and there was a small voice that told her she had a fever. After all, they were in winter and the temperature at night was considerably low. Clothes that she usually liked to wear weren't thick enough to preserve warmth. With these thoughts in mind, she found herself leaving the cottage quietly and penetrating the darkness of the forest.

What was... that? That noise?

The pulse got even more powerful, it was like a voice calling to her, pulling her into the heart of nowhere. Leaves beneath her bare feet felt like calloused fingers giving her a massage. They hissed like snakes when she stepped on them and her body tensed on its own. Through foggy vision she spotted something moving through the blanket of darkness. Coming forward, her foot passed over a rock and Kagome bit back a hiss of pain. It cut right through her skin.

Her eyes left the shadows' movement for a moment to check her wound, but as she bent her knee a light broke through the leaves. _A shard_, she realized as her hand grabbed it on its own. She cut herself in a shard. It had been so close to the village and still she couldn't sense its full power.

_A barrier of some kind must protect it_, Kagome thought, but when she was about to look at it better, she froze. It had a bright yellow iridescence, and there was a small crevice on one of its sides. The pulse was rhythmic, now. Like drums, it filled her ears.

_No, do not risk it_, her instinct told her. Still, the sound of water slipped through the trees. Just a mere second, Kagome gulped, thinking it will be better to turn back to Kaede's cottage, but her face adopted an inquisitive expression and the shard fell into her pocket before she silently approached the source of the sound. It turned out to be too late when she finally discovered what it was.

Steam floated above the spring, the same place where she and Sango usually bathed. Kagome felt the blush starting to rise to her cheeks.

Moving quietly, Kagome crouched and put her palms against the rocks that encircled the hot water. With her heartbeat fastening, she only prayed that it was just a villager bathing, not some flesh crazed demon. Her orbs watched from above the rock, but saw no one. Her nose warmed up as she took a deep breath in.

_If no one is here, then what_ is_ that sound?_

Kagome spied on her surroundings once again, and decided to go back. Her feet were frozen and hurt, probably even bleeding. The shard vibrated in her pocket, sending her commands to not even dare to think about it, but ignorance was bliss, so to say. She spun on her heels. Just then, the splashing came back and there was a sharp intake of breath, so she reverted in time to meet the sight of her life.

_Good God_, was all that she could mentally make out, for her lips were unresponding, just like every other muscle in her body.

_Inuyasha._

_Naked._

_Bathing._

Water moved smoothly down a sculpted back, she couldn't react in other way than trace the rivulets as they created a path downwards and disappeared into the spring. Silver hair plastered itself against the powerful column of the hanyou's throat and was swept over one of his magnificent shoulders, leaving the skin exposed to greedy eyes. Kagome couldn't see his front, but it didn't matter as she sipped the view like one of the greatest wines. It tasted like paradise. Instantly, a melting hotness spread through her body, filling her core to the point where her knees buckled under her weight. Then Inuyasha turned around, making the water move in circles around him.

Kagome's heartbeat fastened until she thought she'd go into cardiac arrest. The air she took in wasn't enough to soothe the fireworks inside her stomach, nor the explosion of images inside her brain.

Kagome trailed every single curve she could detect, starting with the collar bone which seemed to give him a false air of fragility, to the muscles that undulated under the skin and tensed with every move. She stared at the way the Adam's apple moved when he swallowed, and how the strands of hair hid parts of him from her. Gorgeous, she thought, intently glaring at the water and the steam that wouldn't let her see more.

The shard was buzzing like a bee, agitation swimming through her blood, starting from the object. It was like the electricity stinging her skin was coming from the small piece of jewel. Do it, she heard it whisper anxiously.

Without registering it, her fingers found the buttons of her shirt. They shortly gave away, one by one, until the cloth fell to the ground. Cold air mixed with drops of water whipped her abdomen and Kagome shuddered, pushing her thighs together in apprehension. Quietly slipping her legs out of jeans, she came forward. That was when she realized that those golden eyes were watching her face, and he was clenching his teeth. Her face could not become even more flushed than it already was, Kagome just trembled slightly and succumbed her toes beneath the water's surface. It burned in a pleasant way, her body was experiencing the same feeling inside and out. Just before the water covered her chest, she let her fingers slip over the back of her bra and released it, throwing it next to the blouse.

Kagome saw Inuyasha's struggle, though he didn't say anything, his eyes flickered to her breasts and then up to her face so rapidly that she wasn't sure if it really happened.

When the hot liquid brushed over her nipples, Kagome sensed them harden, but she didn't stop moving until she was so close to his body that they touched his chest in a silent plea.

His lips parted. Her mouth went dry in expectation and Inuyasha inclined his head to brush his mouth over hers. Kagome closed her eyes, then the contact broke and she shuddered, opening them.

Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen.


	2. The spell

Name: The spell

Pairing: Kagome/Inuyasha

Word count: 5, 173 words

Rating:a slight M in the end

** - part two -**

Snow started falling when Kagome entered the village. Her skin was still hot, but it was not from the water anymore; shame acted like a heating radiator beneath her flesh. What was she thinking? Of course he wouldn't stand there watching the way she acted like a complete fool. Inuyasha was probably going to avoid her now. Her jeans were stiff, her legs were trembling, the hairs on her thighs rose against the cloth, what was the right explanation for what she had done?

As she advanced through the darkness, the shard in her pocket scrapped her through the fabric. The pulse behind her neck gave up on trying to get her attention, leaving only silence behind. It was worse, really, because as Kagome entered the village, nothing could distract her from the thoughts that passed mercilessly through her mind. She automatically stopped next to the cottage, right before she could see the tree in which, sure enough, _he_ was trying to get some sleep. Kagome didn't move for a while, relishing the force of the wooden wall against her shoulder while her eyes searched the sky. It looked like a blanket of shadows, studded with the clouds from which flakes escaped. The icy flowers floated in front of her and when they finally settled upon her skin, they melted. There was no sign that they had ever been there, only the feeling of cold needles inside her nerves.

"Who are you trying to hide from?" Kagome flinched in surprise. Miroku watched her through the late night with an intrigued look. She suddenly tensed; there had to be an excuse in the back of her head, except her brain was frozen and didn't work well.

"N-no one." He just smirked in a knowing way.

"Oh, you couldn't sleep, could you?" The question pushed her into thinking, except she could find no reply. Miroku came next to her and sat down, pressing his back against the cottage. His robes draped around his body, shielding every little piece of skin, except for his throat and face, which suddenly looked tense.

Kagome frowned. What was wrong with him?

"Are you alright?" She came closer and sat down next to the monk, taking a deep breath of fresh air, making an effort to hear. There was no noise coming from the house, nor from the tree. The young woman tried to pull herself away from the turmoil inside and reverted her orbs to search the monk's set jaw. There was a visible strain in his features.

"Actually, no." the tone he used was low and guarded, carrying the feeling that he was going to say something serious. "Lately, I've been having this feeling that someone's watching us. It is evil, I sense a great deal of power coming in waves in our way." His free hand pressed on the back of his neck and Kagome gulped. He looked troubled.

„N-Naraku?" At the mention of the name, the shard in her pocket vibrated, hitting her hip as if transmitting signals.

„Not sure." The monk shook his dark locks from side to side and the motion caused the staff to jingle. The sound echoed farther into the silent forest.

The snow fell upon the ground, and a few more moments passed until they both looked down to it. A thin layer coated the soil, and a small breeze sent the flakes in their direction. Kagome shivered and the hoshi's eyes darted toward her in deep friendly concern.

"You should head back inside, it's starting to get cold." _As if it isn't already_, she wanted to add. Instead, she kept her lips pursed, nodded and got up. Not even once did her chin raise in search of the hanyou, although Kagome felt a heavy stare on her as she stepped inside. Her feet were already turning into ice as she crawled back under the futon and shifted on her side to protect the shard from breaking. Eyes closing, she prayed that in the morning she won't have to justify the way she acted earlier, at the hot spring. She fell asleep trembling.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooo**

Black eyes stared ruthlessly into her own as hands pushed her backwards to the abyss. It was _the empress _again, the butterflies from the sky turned into ash that stuck to her hair and dirtied the pallor of her face. The empress didn't look the same,she held a predatory glint in her eyes. Red poured into them, and her upper lip retracted to reveal fangs. Her hair, white and longer now, was being blown by the wind into Kagome's face and the miko sensed the smell. So familiar and masculine... deep and spicy. Panic engulfed her.

Pain ripped through her, claws cut at her to let the blood flow free and stain the kimono, turning it the same shade of red. Kagome couldn't contain the scream anymore. Flares lit up the sky of steel as the sun hid behind the horizon of poppies, and realization dawned. The shard wasn't in her pocket, anymore. It lay between the smeared fingers of her attacker.

She screamed again, this time in frustration as her kicks hit only air. The same long and powerful fingers knotted around her neck with the intention of breaking the trachea. Kagome's own hands gripped the creature's wrists to stop the clenching just as the skin under her chin broke. She couldn't hear her own hiss because she was too busy trying to shake the tears away from her eyes. They stung and her mind concentrated on them to avoid fainting. Kagome felt her body go numb from the lack of oxygen. Legs ceased jerking and arms fell at her sides as if they weighed tons. When she thought that this was finally over, the creature let go. Fingers uncurled from her bruised throat and only then did she realize that she had been held above the ground. The fall felt like an eternity until her head met the ground with a sickening crack. The only thing she could make out before her eyes rolled back and blackness overtook her senses was the loss of the shard.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooo**

Morning came and, as awareness slowly slid through every fiber in her body, Kagome felt a pair of strong arms unravel from her waist, careful not to disturb her peaceful state. The futon was now warm and comfy, soft against her palms and smelled fresh, earthy. The scent of night air and cut grass mixed with something spicy. Her legs were numb, but even though she couldn't feel much, she was pretty sure that she was still clad in jeans.

Sun penetrated the darkness inside the cottage and grazed over her eyelids like petals. With a sigh of contentment, Kagome nearly fell back into deep slumber. She felt tingly and blissful, in her own perfect world, where she was free of demons and homework, where she could sleep in late, eat lemon ice-cream everyday, lay under the sun with Buyo and have Inuyasha give her a - a quiet hush drew her attention and she stopped dead in her tracks.

_Wait, something's..._ She refrained herself from turning around and see what it is and only then did she realize that another pair of legs tangled with her own. There was another presence in the room. Something pressed on her shoulder and someone breathed down on her face. She inhaled deeply, coming this close to actually purr. A nose touched her cheek, sniffing at her skin and hair. It tickled her jaw and she found the urge to arch her back, just to feel more of the person that held her in their wonderful embrace. A soft fabric rubbed against her neck and Kagome rose her chin to give it more access. The delight of being warm and treated this way felt surreal. When a grin found its way on Kagome's face, the man behind her froze and pulled back. A strand of silver hair slid over his and her shoulder and before her eyes, blocking the ray of sun. It sparkled more beautifully than any other jewelery she ever possessed, for a second she felt amazed and a little confused.

_Is this a dream? _The tress of hair dangled from side to side, pushed by an unseen breeze. It seemed to lure her in some way. It said 'touch me', so the woman hesitated just for a second before she caught it between her fingers, oblivious to the amber irises that reflected surprise. The texture was so amazingly silky, like the feather of an angel. So pure, so white...

_So soft..._ her own locks were the perfect contrast to the shiny silver strand. Kagome admired the way they combined, black and white, silver and coal. A complete opposite. Oblivious to the stunned man behind her, she tilted her chin and searched for the source of the wonderful smell that floated all around the room and lingered on her sheets. Craning her neck, Kagome found herself pressing her nose to velvety skin and moaned. Suddenly, she was gently pushed back. She wanted to protest, to grip his hand and pull him back down, because she needed his presence in here, with her. Instead, she listened to his silent steps that whispered only apologies to her. When she finally convinced herself to let her eyelids flutter open, she caught a glimpse of a red clothed shoulder disappearing out the door.

For an hour, she tried to kill the shame she felt for being so stupid. This wasn't her. And that wasn't love or anything, she was cold last night and he just helped her get warm, right? She was a stupid human girl who let the hormones get the worst of her, right? And, apart from all that, he loved Kikyo...

_...right? _Sadness swept over her like a tsunami. Her chest constricted in pain. She had to force her lungs to breathe again, but when she succeeded, she regretted it. What was its use? Live another day to detect shards, be mocked and insulted by an oblivious jerk. _And smile, because that's what's really important._ They depended on her optimistic self, so act like a clown and fake all of these laughs and gestures and say lies like "It's going to be all right", "don't worry"... For what? She was always the one they stepped on. He had a rough life, but so did she. For crissakes, her father and grandmother died in a car accident!

_Why does he act like he is always the important one?_

Kagome sighed. Who did she try to fool? It wouldn't work in a million years. Not with him, maybe he knew it already, after all he thought her weak and stupid.

_Yes, I'm stupid. I AM, alright?_ _Stupid! Stupid!stupid!stupid! _She groaned, nervously wiping away the tears with the back of her hands.

Kagome got up and folded her sleeping bag, but her mind was entirely elsewhere.

God, she did it again! What was happening to her? Out of a sudden, her actions turned into those of a... of a... she couldn't bring herself to say it. She sighed again, more heavily this time, both in shame and frustration. She assured herself (for at least the tenth time that morning) that Inuyasha wasn't going to press for information on her recent behaviour.

_Yeah, he'd rather hide in that tree for a whole week than look me in the eye after all of this... _Somehow, disappointment spread through her belly and a pang of guilt pushed her back into remembering the night before.

_Last night my mind was so hazy... What got _into _me? _

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooo**

Kaede pressed the plant to her chest as she stepped past the cottage. Those two love birds acted really strange. Inuyasha barely muttered a word before he took off into the forest a few moments ago, and the girl - the old woman looked inside - had a troubled expression on her face. Her mood darkened even more and Kaede knocked into the wooden wall to get her attention. Instantly, the teenager's head came up and the distraught expression on her face was chased away by a tight smile. She eyed the plant between the priestess' hands.

„Do you need help preparing that, Kaede-sama?"

"Hai."

Time passed as Kagome finished helping the old woman and she changed herself into something easier to walk in. A sneeze brought her strange glances from Miroku, whom looked at her suspiciously.

„Sorry, nothing serious." He just nodded, not once moving his stare away from her own's.

Yep, she caught a cold.

Miroku's stare followed Kagome out of the hut like a predator's would follow the prey. She couldn't ignore the thought that he suspected something about last night. After all, he caught her entering the village in the middle of the night, trembling like a leaf in the breeze.

_And I'm pretty sure that I looked a lil' bit flustered..._ Kagome almost blushed as her mind chose that moment to bring up the feeling of Inuyasha's skin. She avoided turning around because the monk that leaned against the wall, with his hands crossed over his chest, still waited for a chance to prove his theories right. The miko stepped next to the old priestess to help her.

Sango watched Kagome helping Kaede as she passed food to everyone in the group and she noticed how silent and withdrawn the usually smiling teenager was. She couldn't ignore the feeling that something was wrong with the girl. With a quick glance in the hoshi's way, she observed the same expression she wore, on his face. He, too, watched their younger friend. They both thanked her when she handed them their soup bowls, and Sango instantly knew the cause of her best friend's lousy mood when Inuyasha's turn came. The old priestess called his name only to be greeted by silence in return.

"Where _is_ that boy?" Kaede asked with a raspy voice as she looked around. The brunette miko flinched so hard that even Shippou saw it. The little fox youkai raised his head from the soup bowl to watch her with wide eyes, while Sango felt fazed and Miroku frowned contemplatively.

"I haven't seen him since we got back from fishing, yesterday." Replied Shippou on a small voice, sensing that something was going on.

"He left before _you_, girls, woke up." interfered Miroku, holding a hand to his forehead. Kagome's reaction didn't go unnoticed by her best friend.

„Are you alright?" She nodded vigorously, hoping that the little smile will convince everyone. She was _fine_. Inuyasha avoided her, just like she wanted him to. She was _okay_... Nothing to worry about.

_At least, _I hope_ I am...  
_

The sun lost some of its power and the wind fluttered the fabric that draped over the door of the small hut. The fire cracked and everyone ate in silence around it, except for Kagome.

Shippo sent her a few confused a few minutes he wanted to bring up the topic, but the melancholic expression on the young miko's face rendered him hesitant. Was she sad? He guessed so.

_What did Inuyasha do this time? I hope she doesn't leave home, again..._ With a deep breath, he gathered some courage and asked on a cheery tone:

"Did the two of you fight again?" His voice made her jump and break the one-sided visual contact she had with the line of the trees at the edge of the village. Her head shook automatically.

"N-no." The kid scrunched his nose in supposition. Kagome took a deep breath and chose to misunderstand what he implied, so she laughed a small laugh and said: „Don't worry. He'll be back." She wanted to add _sooner or later, _but they were all already searching her face for some clues. Suddenly, she felt too uncomfortable. The miko pushed herself up, averting her gaze from the others'.

„Please excuse me, I'm not feeling well."

"Ye should go lay down, childe." Old Kaede looked worried.

"No, I need air." With that, Kagome hurried out of the house in a desperate attempt to put some distance between her and her friends. The turmoil inside her mind clouded her brain and instead of walking into the village, where she usually liked to pace, her feet took her in the opposite direction, the forest. What was she really hoping to find there? And if she found _him_, what was she going to say?

She didn't know what to do with her hands, anymore. Awkwardness encircled her, suffocated her until one of her palms gripped the nearest tree trunk. It was cold and wet, the snow still covered its base. Fingertips felt its surface as if they expected to find a hidden crevice. A crevice.

The young woman gasped as her other hand delved deep into the pocket to pull out the Jewel shard. She forgot to put it next to the others. It still had the eerie yellow glow, a hypnotizing color that reminded her of amber, of honey and of... eyes. With a small grown, Kagome blinked in an attempt to shoo away the images in her head. The shard had a small chink and she scraped it with the tip of her nail. Yelping, she retreated her hand.

_It burnt me! _

The wind picked up, rustling the branches above her head. She gazed upwards and froze. Shadows played across her face and she gasped, taking a step back from the tree. The tennis shoes she wore sank into the snow with every pressure she applied against it. The breezes turned violent, picking up the fresh snow off of the ground and smashing it against the miko's body and the trees until it adhered to them. Her pants absorbed their chilliness until it reached her skin, she started trembling. It was cold, so cold. Somehow, the blast created a wall between her and the rest of the forest, covering up the path she made. Her body slowly plunged in the natural labyrinth, guarded by the sky that looked over her through small holes inside the barrier of branches above her head. Alone, she thought. She was alone.

**_You are not alone._**

Who was that? Her eyes searching frantically as she came to a stop. The halt was sudden, and the impact of the wind against her back sent her tumbling across the forest floor, face first. The frosty winter wind bit into her flesh and bones.

She could swear she just heard a whisper. With her knees folded under her to keep her body mostly of the ground, she strained to hear the sounds. A swoosh of air flew past her ears, but nothing else. Still, she hadn't imagined it, she was sure. Standing, she cleaned the snow off of her clothes and straightened her back.

Kagome took in her surroundings.

**_Do not ignore me, little girl! _**The miko turned around to hit the one who hissed at her from behind. Except... no one was there.

_**I'm here.** _Her heart jumped into her throat as she spun again. Nothing. A bloodcurling laugh echoed through her mind and she opened her mouth for more air. It was as if someone pushed her beneath the surface of freezing water. Her lungs were boiling, she was sure of it as she watched the steam from between her numb lips floating towards the sky. She couldn't feel her face, nor her feet, but as she glanced down, they were still there.

Her teeth chattered. Kagome didn't cease walking further, until she reached the well. The clearing was empty. Despair was beginning to take over her, what the hell was going on? Looking back, she saw the forest , but none of her footsteps imprinted into the snow. The sky had a metallic glint, she foresaw a storm. Concern overtook her features and Kagome did the only thing she could do. She brought her hands up to her face and yelled.

"Inuyasha!"

The first attempt came out a little harsh, the cold was gnawing at her like a blade. The soreness of her throat returned with a vengeance, but she didn't stop calling out his name. Tons of reasons added behind her shouts and, even though they had a desperate edge, she kept on acknowledging the way she was acting without trying to stop herself. Something was watching her from the forest. Probably a demon.

She couldn't go back to the village without getting caught in the storm. Besides, she had to find him and apologize for her behavior. The jacket that covered her arms was so thin that she could feel a layer of ice gluing to her body, making her teeth chatter more fervently. Rubbing her hands across her arms to produce warmth, Kagome caught sight of footsteps in the snow, behind he well. They were fresh and marked the way to the hanyou, but as she followed them, she realized that they suddenly stopped.

_Come on, where are you?_ Spinning around, she scanned every little possible hiding place, though she couldn't see very well. Her hair kept hitting her face and getting into her eyes and mouth. Each time she pushed it away, the wind escalated to a point were she would give up. What she could see through her eyelashes was close to nothing. No red, no amber, nothing.

The shard moved from side to side inside her pocket and as Kagome stomped her foot against the ground, a thud brought her attention back to the well. For a second, she didn't know what to think.

_The demon?_

She didn't have time to completely turn around before she felt herself being pushed rearwards until the back of her knees collided with the Bone Eaters Well edge and she suddenly was in a free fall. The wind no longer constricted her movements. Her arms flew to catch herself in time before she smashed her head, but the only thing she found were the fingers of another person. Her heart stilled in her chest. She gripped the hand so hard that she could hear fingers cracking, and she tried to pull herself up over the well's brink, but the hand was attached to an arm, and the arm to a body that lost its balance and came down over her, colliding with her own. With a smack, her head inevitably hit the ground and all the air was forced out of her by a huge pressure on her chest. Kagome's eyes widened and after a moment, Inuyasha pushed himself off of her.

Kagome felt relieved.

"What the hell?" he muttered, trying to regain his balance to gather himself from where he landed. He shared a look with her before he stopped breathing. It took a moment for Kagome to react before she figured out what he had seen. The shard fell beside her head and its sickly color shined inside the darkness of the well. The light reflected into his irises and the pupil contracted for a second, until it was mere black point in a sea of liquid golden. He emitted a low growl and the glow ceased, releasing Inuyasha from its hypnotizing force she felt when she first found it was back and now it filled the space between her and the hanyou.

Kagome gritted her teeth when she felt him shift away, already missing the warmth.

_The warmth... _In an instant, she got the same feeling from the last morning.

Inuyasha could tell her thoughts from the look in her eyes. One moment confusion, the other recognition. The feeling in his stomach warned him. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong...

She caught his elbow and dragged him back down. Hard.

The kiss felt so good_._ He tought, as his eyelids fluttered close on their own volition. _So very, very good..._ The sword's sheath hit the cement wall of the well and the sound pulled him back to his senses. _Oh no, something's definitely wrong._

Kagome whimpered at the loss of the contact and watched him through thick eyelashes.

Their eyes met; surprised, wide amber orbs questioned her boldness and Inuyasha soon pulled away, bewildered.

She was breathing hard. Kagome felt achy all over as she pushed her hands up, but her body was still blocked under the hanyou's weight, as he stood between her legs, bending at a weird angle to make some room for them inside the well.

"Hey, wench, are you alright?"

Kagome came closer and searched his face, eyes traveling from his irises to his lips. The shard sizzled like butter in a pan...

...aaand he got the message. His hand automatically sneaked around her waist until she was flush against him, and his mouth descended upon hers once again. The possessiveness behind his actions took control when he pushed her back down and growled. With a small shift of his body, she could feel him rubbing his hips against hers and she couldn't contain the response any longer. She moaned. As she looked up to the hanyou in a daze, she saw two things at once. His eyes morphing into red cruelty, and strange sparks coming from the shard.

That's when the missing puzzle piece glued itself in its locket and her previous dream turned real. He pushed her into the black abyss beneath her feet. With each small segment of nudity, his hands felt more. His claws dug deeper, drawing blood. Hissing away the pain, Kagome arched her back. Before her eyelids covered her vision completely, she saw the last shred of humanity fighting against evil essence in him, the youkai side of him.

Inuyasha clung to the small corner of his mind that still thought straight. He fought to ignore his senses in order to stop his actions, because he smelled the lust within her, he felt her heated skin, he tasted sweet ecstasy on his tongue and he heard her approval. Everything span out of control while he nipped at her earlobe and traced her clavicle with burning fingertips until they found her pulse. Moving his lips down, tightly pressed against her throat, Kagome felt all air leaving her lungs. When he reached the jugular vein and kissed it, it took only the simplest touch for her to encircle his waist with her legs and draw him closer.

God, he was so hard!

Without even once thinking about it, Kagome found her hands under the Robe of the Fire-Rat, searching for skin, she needed to feel him as he felt her. His claws scratched her side as he pulled the shirt and jacket up and backed off to take a look. The streaks of his cheeks weren't completely visible, but they started showing. As Kagome gave up on her search, she let out a sigh of frustration and violently grabbed the back of his neck, forcefully pulling him closer.

Inuyasha took deep, laboured breaths and tried to steady himself. His nail dug int dirt and the smell of his blood permeated the air. The shard plunged deep into the hollow of his hand. He felt the pain and used it as an anchor to bring himself back to earth. The sane part of his mind limited the other one, which roared in frustration at being held back from such a feast. When he thought that there was no other way around it, Kagome's palms cupped each one of his shoulders and pushed him away, while she still held her ankles locked around his waist. The friction was bliss. Her words didn't register immediately, for he moved his arms to cup her behind and bring her upwards.

Kagome felt his hands, rough and bruising, and she guessed how far his determination went. His ivory tresses stood out from the thick darkness in which they lay sprawled. She allowed him to bring her on top just to free her hands and to be able to pass them through his velvety strands.

Nevertheless, she stopped. He didn't take notice of her halt.

„Not here." She waited for his reaction bur her words fell on deaf ears.

Inuyasha's head seemed to explode with the rush of blood and heat to his brain. Kagome saw the urgency in his fervent movements, as if he'd stop for a bit, he'll lose his chance. _This,_ she tought_, is what I always wanted._ She wanted him to want her so much, that he'll become an addict. She heard his murmurs and her head fell back, eyes closing without a second thought to relish in the sensations he gave her. The sounds he made, the growls that escaped his throat, everything passed through her body and left a powerful craving behind. Through the haze in her head, she made out his words.

"I feel like I'm losing control," he removed his lips to take an intake of breath and the chilliness of air gave her goosebumps. Another sensation to add to those he gave her. Soon, his mouth warmed the spot again, this time setting her aflame."you're intoxicating every sane inch of me..." Fire ignited in her nerves, muscles and even bones, „making me so hot that I cannot think straight..."

A loud moan echoed up the well, the sound bounced from wall to wall and back down toward them. His fangs punctured the skin and moved to another breast, giving it the same treatment. Even through the jacket and blouse, Kagome felt the bite. Heck, it felt better than most of her fantasies.

She gulped.

„Inuyasha, not here." This time, he heard his name and blindly looked up. His eyes were glazed all over with lust. The youkai growled again, deeper, louder, more menacing as he finally moved his hands from her jeans. He cupped her upper arms and pulled her down for his lips to meet hers. She tasted her own blood, metallic but at the same time sweeter than any candy she ever ate. It excited her. He knew it. He smirked up at her and nuzzled her earlobe, bringing the tip of his tongue over it to make her shudder again.

„But where?" the words were clear, she understood them without even trying to hear them over the beating of her own heart.

„Inside the house. My room." Inuyasha retreated far enough to scan her features and what he found there pleased him greatly. She trusted him. Still, that little sane part of him felt like he took advantage on Kagome. The question was, did he really care?


End file.
